October 2012 Archives

Earlier in the month, the FBI accused Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne of causing a hit-and-run accident in Phoenix. According to the recently released FBI report, the situation is a whole lot shadier than your everyday hit-and-run.

The FBI report claims that Horne fled the scene of the accident because he didn't want anyone to see him with his employee Carmen Chenal. Why? Because Horne and Chenal were allegedly having an affair, Fox 10 News reports.

Now Horne will not only face possible charges, but the wrath of his wife as well.

Last week, Patagonia Deputy Marshal Johnny Tynes was arrested after crashing his car into a utility pole in Tucson, the Arizona Daily Star reports. Police suspect that Tynes was drunk at the time of the accident and have initiated a DUI investigation. In the meantime, Tynes has been charged with criminal damage and suspended from his job.

Drunken driving already cost Mark Grace his job as a broadcaster for the Diamondbacks. Now it could land him in jail as well.

In August, Grace was arrested for his second DUI offense in 15 months. Diamondbacks CEO Derrick Hall let Grace go after the arrest. Now the former first baseman is facing four felony counts of aggravated DUI, The Arizona Republic reports.

Drinking and dragging don't mix. A group of Tucson teens learned that lesson the hard way when their vehicle rolled over during a drunken drag race.

Marymar Martinez-Duran, a passenger in one of the vehicles, was killed in the accident. Now William Pina, the driver, is facing a number of charges, including DUI and manslaughter, the Arizona Daily Star reports.

On Friday, a joyride ended in tragedy when the dune buggy Frank Ellis Stringer was driving rolled over on a road in Golden Valley, The Arizona Republic reports. Stringer was pronounced dead at the scene.

The good news is that the number of teens who drink and drive is on decline. The bad news is that that teen drunk driving is still a huge problem.

The teen drinking and driving rate dropped by 54 percent last year, according to a new report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. However, that still means that a whopping 1 million teens drove after drinking in 2011, NBC News reports.

A 20-year-old Phoenix man has admitted to consuming alcohol, cocaine, and synthetic pot before causing a fatal accident on Saturday, CBS 5 reports.

Freddy Parra was speeding on 67th Avenue with four teenagers in his car when he rear-ended another vehicle. One of Parra’s 16-year-old passengers was killed in the collision. Parra’s now facing a number of charges, including manslaughter.

A 20-year-old Tucson woman was killed early Friday morning in an alcohol-related wreck on California's Highway 128, the Ukiah Daily Journal reports.

The woman, whose name hasn't been released, was a passenger in a truck that spun off the road and crashed into a tree. Ryan J. Wallis, the truck's driver, was arrested on suspicion of DUI and gross vehicular manslaughter. According to the Lake County Record-Bee, the deceased woman was Wallis' sister.

Rex Altree had his extreme DUI case dismissed in 2011 after he presented a video in court. That video showed Altree's driving on the night of his arrest wasn't consistent with the police report.

But authorities now believe that Altree, president of the Arizona Auto Glass Association, altered the video in order to fabricate a defense, The Arizona Republic reports. The Gilbert businessman is now facing charges that are lot more serious than extreme DUI.

Arizona Attorney General Tom Horne has come under fire recently. Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery has announced that he plans to take civil action against Horne over alleged campaign finance violations.

About The Phoenix DUI Law Blog

The Phoenix DUI Blog takes a closer look at drunk driving cases, new developments in the law, and the harsh DUI penalties of Arizona. Citizens of the Grand Canyon state can learn about DUI issues, state specific information about drunk driving from this blog and learn how to contact a Phoenix DUI attorney. Have a comment or tip? Write to us.